


Falling

by Melancholy_Incarnate



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Arranged Marriage, Attempted Suicide, Depression, Different person, Domestic Violence, F/M, Non-con elements don't apply to Loki, Rape/Non-con Elements, Suicide is a real issue, Violence, get help, please
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-05-19 01:42:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 10,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14864255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melancholy_Incarnate/pseuds/Melancholy_Incarnate
Summary: You are the daughter of the head of inter-realm negotiations and you have been chosen by the leadership of Earth to marry an Asgardian. You have been terrified of marriage since you saw the body of your sister, Mercy. Mercy was brutally murdered by her husband Ulysses after suffering years of abuse -physical, psychological, and sexual- at his hands. Yet she still loved him. You never understood your sister's forgivingness. You know you could never forgive a man like Ulysses. So you have decided never to marry. You'd rather die. Or... Would you?IN THE PROCESS OF CHANGING OC TO READER





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My longest and most popular (and possibly best) fic is a Loki/Reader called Stuck. It's worth the read, I swear. Please check it out!

You sat on the balustrade, your hair flicking out in the wind, eyes closed, not thinking of the long fall to the ground below. Your legs were hooked in the parapet's vertical stone supports as you gripped the horizontal marble rail. In truth, you were very afraid of heights. But you were more afraid of marriage. You didn't want to end up like Mercy. You shuddered at the thought. You remembered seeing Mercy's body. Battered and bruised and broken. 

Her husband had beaten her to death. After all of the years of abuse, she had stayed with Ulysses. After all of the broken bones and bruises and rapes. Even after all that, she still  _loved_ that drunken disgrace of a man. No, you decided when you saw your sister's corpse. You were never going to marry. And you thought you would never have to. Until, that is, almost every world leader on the planet had met and decided that a marriage alliance was the only way to secure Asgard's support in any future invasions from alien species. After the Chitauri, they couldn't risk something on a much bigger scale happening to Earth. And so that was how you were selected. Daughter of the head of inter-realm negotiations, Felix Harper. Chosen to have the 'great honor' of marrying the very cause of the Chitauri invasion - _Does no one seem to remember that?-_ Prince Loki of Asgard. You'd never even _met_  your fiancé, for fuck's sake. 

So that was why you sat on the railing of the balcony so very high above the ground. You thought about all the things you would miss from life. As you opened your eyes to look at the familiar-but-not-quite-right moon, you mentally compiled a list of things you would miss out on.

Music.  
The feeling of walking into a warm building on a cold day.  
Finding someone to love.  
All those cute videos and memes and inside jokes your friends used to send you.  
Going to Denny's with your friends at 3 a.m. in the middle of the summer.  
Fireflies.  
The feeling of sinking into soft pillows after a long day.  
Going to Times Square to eat pizza.  
Campfires.  
Sitting on rooftops to stargaze.  
Seeing the Eiffel Tower in person.  
Eating ice cream by the pool.  
Going snorkeling off the Great Barrier Reef.  
Visiting a fancy hotel.  
Trampolines.  
Treehouses.  
Hugs.  
Ice skating.  
Making snowmen and forts to have great snowball fights with your friends back home.  
Hot baths.  
Blowing bubbles.  
Rolling down grassy hills.  
Running in the rain.  
Watching the clouds.  
Staying up all night telling stories at sleepovers.  
Drinking hot chocolate and watching the snow fall from a window. 

When you thought of all those things you would miss about home, you nearly lost your nerve. Your shoulders shook with sobs as you steeled your nerves for the jump. You unhooked your ankles shakily from the parapet as you kept her face upturned toward the alien moon. That moon was what decided you. This was not your home. Even if you did not do as you planned, you would never do any of those things again. It was almost the same either way. One way was just an end that would come sooner rather than later. 

"And what are you doing?" a smooth, silken voice asked. You didn't turn around. You didn't care who it was who asked. 

"Escaping."  _Well, not exactly the greatest last words, but I suppose they'll do._ With those three syllables, you let go with your hands and leaned forward out into the empty air. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I use symbolism in the names. 'Mercy' is glaringly obvious. She always forgave her husband Ulysses, though it ended up being her demise. 'Ulysses' means 'to be angry' or 'to hate', which is an obvious reference to his abusive nature. Felix, your father's name, is a bit more subtle. It means 'to be happy' or 'lucky'. He feels lucky that his daughter is going to marry into royalty. His little girl is going to be a princess, perhaps even a queen. He thinks she'll be happy to have such a grand and wondrous opportunity and is thus quite happy for her.  
> Do you enjoy the symbolism?


	2. Chapter 2

For three sickening seconds, you hurtled toward the ground. You heard shrieks from the floors you dropped past. Involuntarily, you braced for the crunch of impact. It never came. You stopped a mere ten feet above the grass. An invisible net had caught you and now the unknown maker of that net easily hauled you back up to the balcony you had fallen from. You waited despairingly as you were lifted higher and higher. 

When the net reached the level of the parapet, strong arms lifted you out of it. You couldn't see who they belonged to.  _Why is everything so blurry?_ It took you a second to realize you were crying again. You shivered with the overdose of adrenaline your brain had forced through your veins. So you clung to the man, burying your face in his chest. For it was a man, most certainly. There was no softness on his body. The stranger was lean and very strong, but gentler than a butterfly's kiss, as if he thought you were more fragile than a baby bird's wing. It was like he was afraid that the slightest force would break you. The mystery man carried you to a destination unknown. 

* * *

 

All noise from the party ceased when they saw that their prince was carrying his weeping bride toward the queen. 

"Sweet child, what is wrong?" Queen Frigga asked as she stood to walk toward her soon-to-be daughter-in-law. 

"Mother, she threw herself from the balcony. I was barely able to catch her with my seiðr."

She placed a hand against her brow. After only two seconds of contact she retracted it. "Oh you poor child..." 

"Take her to her chambers," Frigga told her son. She didn't want to say "your chambers" because the girl was frightened enough of her impending wedding. She didn't need such a reminder that she was to stay in the same suite of rooms as her fiancé. 

Loki dutifully carried the girl up to their bedroom and laid her on the giant bed. She had cried herself to sleep on the way up.  _Pitiful,_ Loki thought to himself as he climbed into bed beside her. He had to sleep next to her tonight. Make sure she didn't try to end her life again. He resented her for it, but did it all the same.

They were to be wed the day after next. They would be sharing a bed for a long time, he supposed. By Midgardian reckoning, anyway. Why was he so opposed to it now?

* * *

Frigga told her son none of what she saw. She saw your sister's death. Who caused it. Your fear of marriage. Your selection and your resentment of it. The leadership of Earth chose you because of your constantly rubbing shoulders with people in power, not because you deserved it. Because you knew how to handle yourself around royalty, not because you were a genuinely good person. They chose you because you were beautiful, not because you were kind. They chose you because you were polite and respectful and knew all your manners and because you knew the 'womanly arts' of knitting and crocheting. Honestly, you couldn't fault them for adding that last one. No one knew if Asgard still had such customs. But you were  _young_. Only seventeen when you were chosen to leave your life and marry a man you had never even seen in person. Of course you were terrified. Of course you wanted out. Frigga understood all too well. Her marriage to Odin had been arranged, as well. But never did she have such overwhelming fear of marriage and such a good reason to feel that way.

And Frigga saw the betrayal that rocked you to your roots. You were taken to meet with the Avengers. In a way, it was worse than the leaders of Earth's empty congratulations. "How  _lucky_ you are to see Asgard! How lucky!" those people had all said. But the Avengers gave you engagement gifts in an attempt to make your imprisonment on a different world more palatable. If they had just come out and said that's what they were doing maybe you would have felt better. If they had commiserated with you instead of dancing around the subject maybe you would have felt better. But they only gave you material items instead of their sympathy. And that hurt. It felt like they were just twisting the dagger in your heart instead of taking it out and dressing the wound. 

And so, in her chambers that night, Frigga wept for the mortal girl who saw her situation in such a dark way. She wept because you saw yourself as being sold to ancient alien beings to become a brood mare. She wept because you saw no future.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> changing what was once an oc/loki fic to a reader/loki fic. Editing names and descriptions and pronouns and shit but not done yet.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asgardians are taller than humans because they are gods. I'm going to take creative liberty here. The gravity is higher on Asgard so they should be bigger and stronger as a result. See? Logical.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe I joined this site only seven months ago?  
> Also, all of the information about flyting and any Norse mythology in this story is as accurate as I can discern. That shit wasn't really written down in easily-decipherable languages, so there is some debate on a few points, but mostly the shit in this chapter is on point. Except the last sentence. I have no idea if Huginn and Muninn ever speak to anyone except the Allfather. But Huginn and Muninn are the Old Norse spellings of the names. Hugin and Munin are the more anglicized versions. I decided to go with the more original spellings. FYI.
> 
> Fun fact about the legends surrounding Loki: most of his flyting of female goddesses was essentially "oh yeah? you didn't say that earlier when u were in my bed"

You woke in the middle of the night. It was cold, even under your blanket.  _Where's my heated blanket when I need it?_  you managed to think. That was about your only coherent thought.  _Oh. There._  You felt something radiating heat at your back so you rolled over and snuggled up against it. You reveled in its comforting warmth as the chill retreated from your skin. When you were as cuddled up to the the electric blanket as one could possibly be without it actually covering you, you fell back asleep. 

Loki felt the chill of early winter. It lapped at him like a friendly dog saying hello to its master. He had lain awake all night, mind furiously twisting the pieces of the puzzle that was his fiancée. His mother had said to let her tell him why she was so upset in her own time. Forbidden him to look into her mind and scoop out the answers himself. So he thought and tried to figure out  _why._ After hours of contemplation, he finally set it aside and decided to work on the problem more tomorrow. 

He was nearly asleep himself when he felt you shiver beside him and wake up. You were clearly still mostly asleep and almost completely unaware of your surroundings because you rolled over and snuggled into his chest, using him as a source of heat. He was about to move away when he realized he'd better get used to it, because soon enough, they'd be expected to share a bed and it would be considered quite odd for him to leave in the middle of the night. Loki was a prince and he was expected to remain faithful to you. Even if you were a mere mortal. If he left in the middle of the night, it would be presumed that he was meeting a secret lover somewhere in the palace. So leaving was out of the question. And this was  _his bed_. He wasn't going to sleep on a couch. So he ignored you and went to sleep. 

* * *

On one of the lower levels of your consciousness, you noted that you were hugging something warm and that the something warm was breathing and had a heartbeat. Once that was established, the information went up higher through your levels of consciousness until it sat at the #1 spot. By the time it hit #3, you were mostly awake. By #2, you were looking around blearily. At #1, you saw what -or more accurately  _who_ - you had been cuddling. You launched backward off the bed and landed on the floor with the  _oof_  that was the universal signal that you had the wind knocked out of you. 

Loki laughed. 

"Why are you here?" you asked once you had regained her breath.

"My mother sent me to stay here with you to make sure you didn't -how do you Midgardians say?- 'off yourself' in the night."

You got up off the floor. "Where am I to find clean clothes?" Loki sighed and opened a drawer with magic. 

"Take your pick."

You reached into the drawer and pulled out a dark blue dress with vertical white stripes on the top. (not sheer like in the photo)

You took it and your bag of belongings into the bathroom and locked the door behind you while you changed. Once you had combed out your hair and brushed her teeth with the brand new toothbrush you found in the bottom of your bag, you stepped out. You regretted it immediately, for as soon as you opened the door, you saw Loki changing. He was just rummaging in his wardrobe completely naked. Luckily, he had his back turned to you so you didn't see anything worse than his butt, so you retreated back into the bathroom. You immediately connected your retreat to [a gif you had seen](https://media.giphy.com/media/4pMX5rJ4PYAEM/giphy.gif) and nearly laughed aloud. But you had seen his ass. Things would most certainly  _not_ be the same for you.  _Good god things are going to be really awkward now..._ she thought.

After enough time had passed that you were sure he was wearing clothes, you peeked out into the room. You saw Loki on his bed, reading a book.

"Where are the kitchens?" you asked politely. You had put the impending wedding out of your mind. You weren't going to attempt suicide again. You were smart enough to realize that they would put in safeguards and watch your every move. Pointless to even try. So you were damn well going to focus on other things.

"Follow me," Loki said with a sigh of annoyance that you couldn't even find the kitchens. 

You tried to make conversation on the way, but to no avail. He ignored you. So you resorted to do the one thing you knew of that might get his attention. You talked about him about the old Norse mythology. 

"So on Earth, you were famous for flyting. Like old-timey rap battles. You were famous for insulting other gods in verse and I think that's great. I mean, it's a fun thing to be famous for. But you're also famous for, you know, fucking a horse, so..."

"What?!"

"Yeah. The legends say that somehow the walls of Asgard fell down for some reason or another, I don't remember, and the gods really didn't like stonemasonry so when this huge stonemason with a massive black horse came and said 'I'll build this wall but if I do you have to let me into Asgard', no one wanted to let him in so you came up with a brilliant solution. You talked it over with the other gods and they agreed. 'Yeah, we'll let you into Asgard...  _If_  you finish the wall by the end of winter.' It was a really big wall made with really big stones, so no one expected him to be able to do it. 'Haha we sure pranked him,' they all thought. But they were wrong. When there were only three days left of winter, the stonemason was almost done with the wall and the gods freaked out. They wanted to kill you." You laughed, trying to continue your story. "So you went out disguised as a lovely mare and enticed the massive stallion away for enough time that the mason couldn't finish the wall. He was  _furious_. In his fury, he revealed himself to be a Jötunn in disguise. That gave the gods the excuse to kill him. But you were missing for a long time. Months later, you returned with a young colt in tow. He had eight legs and was the fastest horse in all the realms. He was called Sleipnir the Glider and he was Odin's steed. You, as a horse, had fucked that Jötunn's stallion and gave birth to Sleipnir. Sure, it's a weird story, but it  _is_ an entertaining one," you finished. "Of course, I was paraphrasing quite a bit, since I really don't want to go into details."

Loki muttered something spiteful under his breath. It sounded suspiciously like "rubbish..."

Finally, they reached the kitchens.

"Excuse me, could I have some raw meat chopped up into little pieces and some vegetables?" The servants all looked at you oddly but they complied all the same.

"What do you need that for?" Loki asked.

"Shh. I'm not telling you until we get there," you replied.

When you had the plate with the meat and vegetables, you walked off in the direction of Odin's throne room. Loki was at a complete loss for what the hell you were doing.

The guards knocked on the door to the throne room and a loud, authoritative voice called from within.

"Enter!"

The guards opened the heavy golden doors and you walked within, curtseying in front of the Lidskjalf where King Odin sat.

"Pardon me, Allfather, but I bring something for your ravens."

"You are an odd one, child of earth. Huginn, Muninn, go." Huginn and Muninn did as their master bade them and flapped over to you. You sat on the marble floor with your legs folded to one side and the plate sitting before you. You held two pieces of meat in one hand outstretched toward the huge birds.

"Please don't bite me," you whispered to them. They each took one piece and swallowed them. "You both have such beautiful feathers... Could I touch them?" you again whispered to the birds. When neither moved, you took a huge risk and slowly, so slowly, reached out to touch Muninn. He did not bite or retreat from you but instead spoke. He actually  _spoke._ And not just the simple mimicry that captive ravens sometimes use. No, he intelligently strung together a phrase. His voice was low and deep and smooth. 

"We will tell Odin what we have learned today."

You just looked at him with wide eyes before looking at Huginn. Huginn signaled his concurrence with a nod. You stroked his feathers, too, just for the sake of fairness and fed them the rest of the food before they flapped off in a flurry of black wings. You gathered up the plate and looked at Loki with wide eyes. 

When they were in the hall, you spoke in a hushed, reverent tone. 

"They spoke to me."

"What? They rarely speak to anyone but Odin."

"Well, Muninn at least spoke. Huginn did nod, though."

"What did Muninn say?" Loki asked. You merely shook your head. 

"If Odin or the ravens wish you to know, they shall tell you." You walked back toward the kitchens to return the dish and wash your hand of the blood from the meat. 

Loki watched her retreating form with a new respect. If the ravens spoke to you, you were far worthier of respect than anyone had guessed. He looked on with curiosity burning within him.  _What makes her so different that she can speak with Huginn and Muninn?_ he wondered. For only twice in living memory had they said even a single word to any other being. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> memes and casual speech confuse the hell out of these god dudes so hell yeah i'm gonna use it.


	4. Chapter 4

You started to make your way through the twisting halls of the palace. You walked at a brisk pace, conversation no longer distracting you from the coolness of the passages. After navigating the stone hallways for what felt like forever, you finally made it back to the rooms you were sharing with Loki. You grabbed your bag and pulled out the solar-powered laptop and high-powered communications device. The communications device was slower than her internet connection back home, but incredibly fast compared to any other space communication device in the world.  _I wonder which data carrier Stark uses. AT &T must be pretty pissed._

You almost laughed aloud at your little joke. You placed the tech on the window seat to charge for a few minutes. Loki sat on the couch, book in hand.

"Do you have any throw blankets or something?"

Loki didn't even look up from his novel as he conjured one and held it out to you. It was soft and, of course, green. You took it and wrapped it around your shoulders.

"Also, is there anyone in the capital or, better yet, in the palace who can teach me about Asgardian economics?"

"Well, you're about to marry one such person," he said glibly.

Your face fell for a moment at the mention of marriage before you smiled brightly. 

"Perfect! Could you teach me? If I'm going to be stuck here for the rest of my life, might as well try to find ways to increase the wealth of Earth through trade between realms!" you said, only half-joking about your life of imprisonment. As the God of Lies, Loki saw right through it.

"Yes, but not today. We are to be married tomorrow, we should probably at least get to know each other, maybe even  _like_ each other before the bedding ceremony."

You stiffened, every muscle in your body tense as your breathing picked up.

"Bedding ceremony?"

"Were you not told?"

Your mouth had gone dry and you felt faint.

"I- I knew I'd have to eventually, but I thought I'd have more time before... before....." You sat heavily on the couch. You looked completely and utterly lost. Then, to Loki's surprise, you closed your eyes and began to mutter numbers under your breath. "1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, 4096..." You just kept counting doubles until at 16777216, you lost the pattern. But it was fine. Your breathing had slowed. 

"Why did you do that? Count doubles, I mean."

"I find that it helps me focus on other things so I don't panic."

After a long silence, you laughed bitterly. "I've never even kissed somebody, now they want me to fuck a man I only met this morning..."

"Technically, you met me last night."

"Yeah, well that doesn't count."

"Fair enough," Loki grinned. "Do you want to fix that now?"

"Fix what?" You asked, looking at him.

"The fact that you've never kissed anyone."

Your face flushed. "I, um- what? I mean- you're hot and all, but- what?" By now, your face was as red as the Russian government. You pulled her blanket tighter around yourself as you stood and walked back out into the hallway. You wandered about the palace for what might have been hours, who knows. Finally, you stopped a servant carrying a tray of food.

"Uh, hi. Could you direct me to Queen Frigga? I'm sort of lost and I need to talk to her."

"Of course, princess," the serving man said with a bow. 

 _Princess? Oh. Yeah. Forgot about that._  

You followed the man through twisting passages until you reached a tall wooden door with gold decoration. He grasped the knocker in the hand not holding the tray and knocked. 

"Thank you," You said to him before he left.

Then the door opened and you stepped into the Allmother's chambers.


	5. Chapter 5

"Uh, hi, your majesty," Elaine greeted lamely. "I have something really really important to discuss with you."

"What is it, dear? And call me Frigga or Mother."

Elaine decided to compromise and call her Allmother. She closed the door behind her and sat down in a chair across from the woman, fidgeting nervously.

"Allmother, is it true that I will have to complete the bedding ceremony tomorrow?"

"I am sorry, child. But marriages on Asgard are not considered valid until they are consummated. For a royal couple, that means it is of the utmost importance that the marriage is consummated on the night of the wedding."

"But I can't! I can't do it! God, I'm such a failure! I can't even validate my marriage!" she cried.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"I won't be able to! Ugh, this is so humiliating. Promise not to repeat what I'm about to tell you? Please?" Elaine begged.

"If your problem can be corrected then no one need know," Frigga said, voice laced with concern.

"Do women on Asgard menstruate?"

"Yes?" Frigga answered, bewildered.

"Back on Earth, women use things called tampons to soak up the menstrual blood without causing a mess. They are these cotton... sticks, for lack of a better word, that women put in their, um, vaginas."

"We have similar devices here."

"Well, when I was fifteen and I first started menstruating, I tried putting in a tampon. But I couldn't. It was like hitting a wall down there. I even used a mirror to make sure I was doing it right. I was. But still it didn't work. I did some research and found out I have a condition called vaginismus. I have the subtype 'global vaginismus'. My muscles clench and nothing can get in. It's a sufficiently rare condition that few doctors have ever heard of it, so I had to self-diagnose. And my diagnosis was correct, I assure you. I ruled out every other possibility. But before I was told I was coming here, I thought I would have plenty of time to correct that issue. So I need time. Can we have the wedding and pretend to have the bedding ceremony? Then after I've fixed the issue, we can have it for real? I don't know what else to do. To fix it, I need Natasha Romanov to deliver a package. Secretly. Just... Let her come through the Bifrost and give me what I need to resolve the problem. It's embarrassing enough with just you and me knowing it. I really don't want the whole realm to know. Please. Please please please," Elaine begged.

"Of course, my child."

Elaine thanked her profusely and ran out the door and back to her chambers.

When she arrived, she burst in and ran over to the window seat where her Stark laptop sat. She opened it and immediately began typing in the Avengers chat.

 **Princess Prisoner:** Hey you know those pics of Mischief Man on the internet where people always say "big mood"?

 **Tin Can Tony:** yeah

 **Princess Prisoner:** well I don't think he's a big mood.  
i think his mood is just....... lowkey

 **Black Suit Babe:** nice

 **Hammer Pants:** HaHa!

 **Prisoner Princess:** you coming to the wedding tomorrow

 **Tin Can Tony:** hell yeah

 **Star Spangled Man With A Plan:** Language! Yes.

 **Terminator:** yea

 **Gamma Guy:** definitely

 **Bird Brain C:** who changed my name

 **Bird Brain S:** me too

 **Prisoner Princess:** so just tell me who all is coming

 **Black Suit Babe:** everybody's coming

 **Prisoner Princess:** hey nat i gotta talk to you in private chat 

 **Black Suit Babe:** ok

 **Prisoner Princess:** don't read our private messages or i send a pic of Loki's ass to the group chat  
talking to you specifically, tony

 **Tin Can Tony:** you're safe. don't wanna see reindeer games's butt

 **Tin Can Tony:** also i think seeing that would give cap an anyeurism

 _private chat enabled with_ **Black Suit Babe**

 **Black Suit Babe:** whats up

 **Prisoner Princess:** promise not to laugh this is really embarrassing to admit

 **Black Suit Babe:** of course

 **Prisoner Princess:** so ok i have this thing called 'global vaginismus' you can look it up later so i need you to bring this kit to me so i can fix it or the marriage alliance thing is void  
_[link sent]_

 **Black Suit Babe:** yeah ok i can totally do that for you

 **Prisoner Princess:** also i don't think amazon prime next day shipping works here so

 **Black Suit Babe:** lol see you tomorrow

 _private chat with_ **Black Suit Babe** _disconnected_

Elaine shut her laptop and almost screamed when she saw Loki sitting across from her on the other end of the window seat.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Elaine's face paled.

"Nothing..."

 _A lie..._ the god thought.  _What is she hiding?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for someone who doesn't proofread i think i'm doing pretty ok with the lack of mistakes


	6. Chapter 6

"I- Loki... There's something I need to tell you. It has to do with um... lady stuff. Your mother already knows about this so we're going to have to pretend to have completed the bedding ceremony for a few weeks."

Elaine took a deep breath and launched into her explanation as Loki listened patiently.

"I did not realize you had such a problem. I am sorry. I will do my best to help you in any way I can."

"Thank you," she said, shocked at his understanding. 

"I am to be your husband," he grinned. "It would be unfitting of me to do any less, little doe."

"So... tomorrow you will help me?"

"Only if you kiss me before bed."

"Deal," Elaine laughed. All of her worry had melted away for now. She didn't know what was going on, but Loki made her feel safe. Maybe it was a spell. But even if it was, she couldn't even muster any indignation. Only thankfulness. 

She took out a ball of yarn and began to count stitches as she cast them onto her needle. 33, 34, 35, 36 _._ She had intentionally chosen the color of yarn she owned the most of. She got sucked into the pattern. It was a complex design, weaving in and out and over and under. Eventually, it was to be a long gray scarf. Elaine sat there for hours, lost in the repetitive motions until Loki said, "It's late." 

She put away her yarn and needles and yawned as she walked over to her dresser. She picked out a black nightgown and took it into the bathroom to change. It was black silk reaching to her ankles. They had gotten all the sizing correct on her clothing.

She brushed her mousy brown hair and brushed her teeth before stepping out into the bedroom. The lights were already off in the room. Elaine couldn't see where she was going after she turned out the bathroom light. So she stood still, waiting for her eyes to adjust, rather than fall and make a fool of herself. When she was sure she would be able to make it to the bed without dying of shame, she stepped lightly over the stone floor and onto the rug the bed sat on. She made her way around the bed and finally lay down on her side, pulling the blankets up to her chin. It was cold. Again. Colder than Earth. It was only December 3rd. It shouldn't be this cold. But- wait. Another planet with another temperature range. And who was to say she was on the same latitude relative to the sun? She could be nearer to one of the poles. That would explain it.

The days so far had been cool and the nights cold. She was thinking about the implications of the weather when she was rudely jolted out of her thoughts by a groggy voice.

"You never gave me that kiss you promised...," Loki said tiredly. Elaine smiled at his persistence and rolled over and propped herself up on one elbow. He lay on his side with his head on the pillow, just looking up at her. She looked at the tired smile playing at the corners of his mouth. At his brilliant green eyes. At his tousled hair. In that moment she saw Loki for what he was. Not a monster or something to fear. Not something to endure for the rest of her life. Not as the horror that had tried to take over her world. No. She saw him as a man. With all of the ups and downs. With all of the desires and fears. With all of the flaws and amazing qualities that make us  _human._ In that moment she knew him. In that moment she loved him.

Elaine leaned down and molded her lips to his in a kiss. It was soft and long and eloquent. It said something neither could fully convey to the other without it beginning to seem utterly ridiculous to the speaker. It said "I must admit that I don't know you all that well but gods do I want to..."

The moment their lips met was the moment where their life strings became one strong thread, bound together for eternity. The Norns had decided their lives were one, forever intertwined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wedding chapter next! such a sweet hopeful ending for this chapter. i love it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Huginn-Muninn aspect of the story is complete bullshit. I'm making it up because it fits. Huginn and Muninn are Odin's wise talking ravens. They tell him the goings on of the nine realms. That's about all of the true stuff I have in here about them. The rest is stuff I'm making up for plot purposes.

 When Elaine woke, it was again entangled in Loki's warm embrace. He looked down at her with a smile.

"Hey," she said.

"Hello." He kissed the tip of her nose.

"I don't want to get up, even for our wedding. Can't we just get married here? Right here?" she asked, clinging tighter to him. It still felt weird, doing something so intimate after having known him for only a day. But she felt like she'd known him for years now. 

"I fear not, my little doe. Though I wish I could stay like this for longer." 

Elaine stood as there was another knock on the door.

"Come in!" she said.

In walked Natasha. 

"Nat!"

"Yeah that's me," the redhead laughed. "Brought your package."

"Oh my god thank you you are a lifesaver."

"Also I'm here to dress you up for your big day, so you," Natasha said, pointing to Loki, "out! It's girl time!"

"So? Does he know?"

"Yes, he knows!" said Elaine, rolling her eyes. Natasha handed her the package and she put it away in a lower drawer in the bathroom. Natasha followed her inside and soon had a huge assortment of makeup spread across the vanity. 

"Where did you get all these?" 

"I'm your makeup artist for your big day. I talked to Frigga. She said it would be nice for you to have a familiar face."

"You don't exactly have a familiar face except from the news! We mostly just talked in the chat for the weeks leading up to my arrival here."

"Exactly," the spy grinned.

So Natasha dusted on gold eyeshadow. Painted on gold nail polish. Put on black eyeliner. A natural pink-toned lipstick. Mascara. She went all out. It felt like forever when she was finally finished. Then it was time for the dress. 

* * *

Elaine was walked down the aisle not in a beautiful white dress like in the fairy tales, but instead in a long, lovely green dress. It was not her father, though, who walked her down the aisle, but Thor. If someone had told her a year ago she was to be walked down the aisle by a nearly seven-foot-tall god she would have encouraged that they be committed to a mental institution. But here she was.

The ceremony was familiar. It was not like the ones she had read were normal on Asgard, but rather a more Earthly ritual. She silently thanked whomever was responsible. Elaine needed something she recognized. Odin and Frigga stood at the end of the hall, Loki in front of them. It was all a blur. They said the necessary words and handed them both golden rings. Loki put the one he held on her finger. Her hand was so shaky he needed to hold it steady. And when she tried to put the ring in her hand on his finger, she could barely hold it still long enough to complete the action. She was mortified when she almost dropped the thing.

But finally that nerve-wracking ceremony was over. Once it was over, she entirely forgot what she was so afraid of.

"We're supposed to take the first dance, dear," Loki said ironically. 

"Oh. You're too tall to dance with."

She was right. He was a towering 6'8" and she was a diminutive 5'2". Somehow they made it work until the dance was over.

"When is it time for food?" Elaine whispered "I'm  _starving._ "

"Soon, darling."

She ignored how her insides felt warm when he called her 'darling' or 'dear' or 'little doe'.

She sat down on the edge of the dance floor while Loki went off to enjoy some more dancing. The higher gravity on Asgard really sapped her energy. 

"Parker!" Elaine called when she caught a peek of the only other person from Earth's Generation Z on this entire fucking planet. 

"Yeah?"

"Do you have a paper and pencil? I need to write some things down. You are going to be my partner in crime. My man on the inside. Got it?"

"Yeah."

He found a sheet of paper and a pen and you detailed your plans for Clint's turn at Tower Karaoke next week. 

"So basically you configure JARVIS so whatever song Clint chooses it only plays "Me and My Arrow" by Harry Nilsson," Elaine concluded.

"And I videotape it and send it to you? Got it." You both grinned at the joke you had planned. 

"Oh yeah. Peter, you have to blame every bit of mischief on me. I'll even sign the paper for you so there's no mistaking who wrote it. They can't get to me here. No repercussions."

"Sick."

"Yeah. And once I learn some from the people here, I'll teach you Asgardian swear words."

"Haha Aunt May won't even ground me."

"Do you want me to start vining what happens on this planet and leaking them to news sites on Earth? Because I can  _totally_ do that. Just send videos of funny stuff from the tower. Call Tony mom as often as you dare. It's what I've been doing."

"Deal!"

Peter Parker was her only connection to her own generation. They had become fast friends when they both got each other's vine references at the first unofficial meeting Elaine had with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. And also Peter. He wasn't an official Avenger yet. But close enough. 

"Wanna go annoy the Avengers?" he asked.

"I've been waiting for you to ask me that this whole time."

The feast had begun and the superheroes were all clustered together eating. 

"Oh, hi mom," she said quickly to Tony before getting back to the task at hand: distracting her target.

"Hey Thor! Guess what? You're my brother now! You know what that means?" Elaine asked. "I can steal your food! Yoink!" She grabbed a piece of chicken and ran away laughing. 

Contrary to her original expectations, she was having fun. She had gotten through it. 

She ate the piece she had nabbed from Thor. Then she had an idea. She took two more from a passing servant. She walked up to Odin's throne and curtsied. She held the meat in outstretched hands just as she had done before. With no prompting from herself or Odin this time, Huginn and Muninn flew down to her and landed on her shoulders. Elaine assumed it was just the easiest perch and she crossed her arms in front of her to offer each bird some food. They were heavy and their talons dug into her back, but not quite painfully. Her back was turned to the crowd as she focused on the birds. 

"Hello," Muninn whispered in her ear. 

"Stop it! That tickles," Elaine giggled. She didn't notice that Odin and Frigga were concealing grins as they watched. 

After about three seconds of chatting with the ravens, she noticed that the crowd behind her had gone entirely silent. Elaine turned around to face them and see why they were so quiet. They were all looking at  _her._ She almost froze up. 

"Hi?" she said nervously to the assembled guests. "Did I do something?" she whispered to Huginn.

"No, child. It is that we landed upon your shoulders," he replied in her ear.

"What does _that_ mean?" she hissed back, looking at the crowd as she spoke.

"That is for Odin to tell you, not us," answered Muninn.

They winged off of her shoulders and she gave a hesitant wave to the crowd. A murmur ran through the assembly. The buzz grew louder and louder as they talked about the events that had just transpired. Elaine had not a clue what it meant, but from the reaction of the people, something  _big_ just happened.

 _"What the fuck is going on?"_ Elaine thought to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summer mood: watermelancholy_incarnate


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Enjoy. My gift to you. A half-smut with an extraordinarily uncomfortable ending.  
> >;)

"What? What is it?" Elaine asked Frigga. 

"Tomorrow. Just enjoy the rest of your evening, child."

Elaine shrugged and stepped back into the crowd. She eventually meandered back to the Avengers. It was almost time for them to leave. She said her farewells and gave Natasha a hug before they left. It was late and she was tired. She wandered around until she found her new husband. When she found him, they had one last dance. It was a slow dance. It mostly consisted of her leaning on Loki and gently swaying to the music.

"Can we go yet..." Elaine mumbled against his chest.

Loki carried her back up to their chambers. The events of the day had exhausted Elaine, but it wasn't over yet.

"So... What do we do? Sleep naked and let the servants assume what they will?" she said sleepily.

"I'm afraid not. We have to begin your treatment," he replied.

Her cheeks burned red. "We?" She was wide awake now.

"Yes. That is what you wanted, wasn't it? My help?"

"I- I suppose- just let me wash my face."

She scrubbed all of the makeup off her face and retrieved the kit from the drawer she had stashed it in. She tried and failed to remove her dress on her own. She gave up and took the kit out and placed it on the nightstand. 

"Please help me get out of this damn thing?"

He started to undo whatever things held the dress closed. She felt Loki's fingers slowly loosening the material. But she also suddenly felt something else too. She felt his warm lips against her neck and back. It felt... nice. When he finished, he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. He pressed a quick kiss to where her neck met her shoulder.

"We can wait until tomorrow if you would prefer."

"No. If I don't start tonight I never will."

"As you wish, princess."

Loki freed her arms from the gown as she sat still on the bed, bright blue eyes closed, letting him have all the control. He pushed the gown down her arms as she held it over her breasts. He helped her stand -not that she needed it. Elaine allowed her arms to be pulled away from her chest and she felt the green fabric pool around her ankles. She stepped out of it and sat back down on the bed, eyes still tight shut with shame. She felt a weight settle onto the bed beside her.

"Look at me, love."

She did. Loki sat with his legs stretched out in the middle of the bed with his back against the headboard. He stared at her with lust and... something else. Something Elaine couldn't quite identify. It was something good, she thought. She hoped. She'd never seen it before. Wait, no, yes she had. She saw it in couples on the street back on Earth. Once upon a time, before the complications of a stillbirth resulting in the death of her mother, she'd seen it in her parents. It  _was_ good, then. 

"What am I supposed to do now?" she asked nervously.

"Whatever feels right, little doe."

Hesitantly, Elaine put a hand on his chest and rose up on her knees. She moved her other hand to his shoulder and pressed her lips against his in a chaste kiss. Loki didn't let her pull away very far before he kissed her again. He licked her bottom lip and she opened her mouth a little, moving her lips against him in an awkward rhythm. Loki chuckled a little at her inexperience. He pulled her off balance a little and yanked down so she straddled his lap. Elaine gasped in shock and surprise. He bent down toward her and began licking and sucking at her neck and collarbones. He consistently moved lower, toward her small breasts. She was afraid, but curiosity outweighed the mild fear. She trusted him. Kind of. Might not have been a great idea according to basically everyone back on Earth, but that's how it was.

He moved her onto her back so his body rested between her legs and he continued his tortuous descent. When Loki took one of her nipples into his mouth, for a moment Elaine still didn't understand what he was doing or why he was doing it. Until she did. 

"O-oh!" At her reaction, Loki nipped lightly at the areole. She squirmed beneath him and he groaned against her skin. Elaine's fingers were in his hair as he licked and suckled at her other breast. His hand snaked down between them and under the waistband of her silk underwear to feel if she was ready. She was not. He quickly found her clitoris and gently pressed the little button. 

She had never tried to stimulate that part of herself. She found it rather pleasant. Actually, she was a bit shocked at her body's reaction. But things were going a bit fast for Elaine. Part of her wanted to stop. Wanted to postpone things. But a much larger part of her really wanted to keep going.  _Majority rules, I suppose. What-_ her thoughts were interrupted by pain in her nether regions. She knew that pain. It was the pain of her muscles clenching forcefully. But somehow Loki slid the smallest plastic cylinder in.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah I think so."

"You did well."

"Now I just wait 15 minutes and then I can take it out?" Elaine asked

"That is what the box says, yes."

She coughed in the silence that followed. "Well, this is a bit awkward."

"It is, isn't it."

"Well, um.... Goodnight I guess."

"Goodnight."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tiny semi-imaginary smut, a philosophical analysis on human nature, and a hella good prank on Elaine's brother-in-law.  
> all in all, a good chapter

Much to Loki's consternation, he felt things for this little mortal. He wanted her physically, yes, but he was a man and that is the nature of men. Seeing her intelligence and innocence, he wanted her- what? No, that wasn't right. He didn't want her _anything_ , he just wanted  _her_. He had it bad.

The god looked over at Elaine's sleeping body. She had taken out the dilator hours ago. It had been coated in her juices as she pulled it from herself and wiped it on a tissue. He had pretended to be asleep as he watched, yearning.  _That should have been my cock,_ he thought.  _I could have brought her intense pleasure, even without being inside her._ But was it really quite so selfish to want her to have her first orgasm around him? Loki wanted it. Needed it. Just thinking about burying himself in her warm wetness made him painfully hard.  _Dammit._

He didn't know if he could last a month.

* * *

Elaine hated herself for not being able to perform a natural biological task. She was unable to reproduce without extreme difficulty. Sure, it would be fixed soon enough, but still. She couldn't yet continue the unbroken line her family made that went back 200,000 years. But, she realized, she  _had_ done well in fulfilling the natural female pattern of choosing a mate, even if she hadn't chosen him herself. Females of the human species usually make one of two choices. They mate with the strong, powerful male with strong genes- the males who are more likely to wander, spreading their seed- and ensure the survival of their young by nature. The reproductive method of 'roam about and breed by force if necessary' is a natural male impulse. Or the female mates with the male who provides stability and comfort, ensuring the survival of their young by nurturing. So females choose between the male who is strong but not a protector or the male who may not have as strong genes, but is more attractive as a lifelong mate because they are providers. And males have to choose between wandering and copulating with multiple females or staying put to make themselves more attractive. In recent centuries, things had become more civilized with less use of violence, but the basic model still stood.  _Humanity._

Earth leadership had made her choice for her. Elaine was pretty sure Loki belonged to the former camp, but she couldn't be sure. She really hoped Loki was of the latter camp. Being a weaker species on a foreign world with no provider and protector would be dangerous not only for her, but also for her future progeny. She wasn't stupid. She knew she was the wife of a prince and would be scrutinized and tested. Elaine wanted someone who could block some of that and make her life easier. 

She looked next to her at him. He looked so peaceful. She was sure that wasn't going to last long. Grinning madly, Elaine turned her back to him and slept. She knew  **exactly** what she was going to do tomorrow.

* * *

As soon as she woke, Elaine jumped out of bed and grabbed a shirt and pants out of her dresser. The shirt was a long-sleeved, cream-colored garment with gold embroidery sparsely decorating the hem and the ends of the sleeves. Her pants were light blue jeans. She went into the bathroom and changed. Whilst in there, she dug into the back of one of the cabinets and pulled out Three bottles of animal-safe paint. Unbeknownst to anyone but herself and the giver of these gifts, during the Avengers' goodbyes, the one who had given her the gifts had snuck them to her. She hid them in the folds of her dress and last night, while she was washing her face of makeup she had hidden them. She silently thanked him.  _Spiderman, you are a G._  

Shoving the bottles of plain green, glitter green, and glitter gold animal-safe paint along with the small video/photo camera that Stark had given her into her bag, she rushed out of the rooms she shared with Loki. He was already out doing the day's business. He was a prince. he had things to do. Elaine went to the kitchens and asked for some fish. Once it had been given to her (along with several weird looks), Elaine went out onto the frost-covered castle grounds. She wandered the area for about an hour before sitting in the sparse shade of a huge, leafless tree when not one, but three cats sidled over to her, meowing and begging to be petted and fed. One of them was the exact cat she needed. A lanky tomcat with sleek black fur and bright green eyes. Perfect. No, not perfect.  _Purr_ fect. Yes.

Elaine stroked their fur and fed them before holding the black one in her lap under the tree. It seemed utterly content to be handled like this.  _Domestic, then._ She took some of the gold paint and drew Loki's golden helmet on the cats face. Without the horns, of course. Just some gold lines framing its face. Then she took the green glitter paint and put some along its back and neck. The paint was a mostly clear substance with flecks of green glitter. The cat soon looked like one of Loki's shapeshifted forms. Like the one from the infamous snake incident.  
[credit to lousysharkbutt on tumblr. check them out.]

Elaine scooped up the immensely patient cat in her arms and took it inside the castle, where she soon found Thor and let the cat loose near him, but kept herself out of sight. Quickly, she grabbed the camera out of her bag and started filming.

"Oh, hi Loki!"

Silence from the cat as it pawed at his leg.

"What?"

Silence.

"What?!"

Nothing.

"Loki why won't you talk to me?!" he shouted finally.

Loki walked in.

"Brother, why in the Nine Realms are you asking this cat why I won't talk to you?"

"Wait, if you're not the cat... then who...?"

She couldn't help it. Elaine burst out laughing. She'd gotten it all on video. Comedy gold. She was  _definitely_ going to leak this quality content to Earth. 

But for now, she grabbed her bag and  _ran_ , laughing all the way back to her room.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment what song should be the first ever played by a human on Asgard.  
> Currently, it's probably gonna be:
> 
> Never Gonna Give You Up  
> La Vie en Rose  
> Chariots of Fire  
> Piano Man  
> Heart and Soul  
> Beyond the Sea (Somewhere Beyond the Sea)
> 
>  
> 
> Choose one or comment your own suggestion!

Elaine made it back to her rooms and Loki followed close behind. She was breathing hard from all the running.  _Will I ever get used to this fucking gravity?_  

Loki melodramatically clutched his hands to his heart as he walked in with a grin. 

"Ah, a woman after my own heart," he proclaimed. "Pranking Thor after only her first full day as my wife. Oh, I'm so proud!" 

"Do you want to see the video?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I do."

She plugged the little camera into her laptop and downloaded the video. They watched as the cat began to bother Thor and he tried to talk to it to no avail. Loki laughed at his brother.

"I am sending this to the Avengers. They need to see this," Elaine told him before clicking the button that would send it to Peter Parker back on Earth. Glancing up at the clocks in the top bar of her laptop, she made sure Parker was out of school. One side of the top bar was Asgardian time and the other was New York time. She opened the video chat application and selected Tony Stark's name. He was probably just fucking around with his newest suit design. Loki went over to the bed to read his book.

"Tony Pepperoni I need a piano, several learning programs, and an app with all the sheet music you can get your hands on. It's important."

"We have a piano. My mother got it from Midgard a hundred or so years ago," Loki interjected from the bed.

"Ok nevermind on the piano. The other things should be easy for you, right?"

"Yeah. Why do you need it, though?" Tony asked.

"Get Clint," Elaine ordered.

"Why?"

"Just get him or you don't get to know!"

"JARVIS, send Bird Brain a message to get down here," Tony told the AI.

"He's already on his way sir," it responded.

"Tony, did you see what the kid sent to the group chat?" Clint said between wheezes as he threw open the door.

"Uh, no."

"Watch!" He shoved the tablet toward Stark.

Elaine got Clint's attention while Stark was distracted by the video.

She began to sign.  _Don't say anything. He's in the room. I'm going to teach Loki piano and tape it for Avengers PR purposes. And they're going to be Tony's favorite 70's and 80's and maybe early 90's songs. Don't tell him about the last part._

 _Got it_ , Clint signed back. Elaine disconnected the video chat.

"Hey Loki? Where is that piano?"

"In my mother's chambers."

"Ok. Come with me. I need a cameraman." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment what song should be the first ever played by a human on Asgard.  
> Currently, it's probably gonna be:
> 
> Never Gonna Give You Up  
> La Vie en Rose  
> Chariots of Fire  
> Piano Man  
> Heart and Soul  
> Beyond the Sea (Somewhere Beyond the Sea)
> 
>  
> 
> Choose one or comment your own suggestion!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen to this while you read. It's the piano cover that I thought of when I wrote this chapter.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-8XB_wpon0

Elaine's fingers danced over the keys. It had been weeks since her first piano recital on Asgard and the first song she had played had been a hit with Frigga. No one knew the lyrics to any of the songs yet, and she was glad, because if they knew the words to that first song and who she was thinking of when she played it, they surely would have thought her a mere foolish girl who fell in love too fast. And maybe she was a mere foolish girl. But she couldn't deny her heart, no matter how she wanted to. 

So in the middle of the night, when she woke and was unable to return to sleep, Elaine came to this secluded spot. It was in a large, unused room with incredible acoustics. They had moved the piano here for her performance and never moved it back to Frigga's chambers. 

For the first time, she sang the words as she played the melody. Not just the words of the song, but the words of her heart.

_"Hold me close and hold me fast_  
_The magic spell you cast_  
_This is la vie en rose_  
  
_"When you kiss me heaven sighs_  
_And though I close my eyes_  
_I see la vie en rose_  
  
_"When you press me to your heart_  
_I'm in a world apart_  
_A world where roses bloom_  
  
_"And when you speak... Angels sing from above_  
_Everyday words seem... To turn into love songs_  
  
_"Give your heart and soul to me_  
_And life will always be_  
_La vie en rose"_

When Elaine finished, she rose slowly to her feet, suddenly indescribably weary. The air seemed heavy and oppressive, forcing her down. She sagged back down onto the bench, hoping to feel better after a long cry.

"I'm a fool in love," she murmured into the empty room. 

"If you're a fool in love, what does that make me?"

"The asshat I'm in love with," she muttered under her breath.

"I'm glad to hear it isn't my brother."

Elaine groaned and buried her face in her hands in embarrassment that he'd heard, but Loki lifted her to her feet and held her against his chest. It was reminiscent of their wedding day when they struggled to dance. 

"You have a lovely voice, maybe you will sing for me again someday?"

"I'll only sing to my children," she retorted.

"I'll have to make sure you get some soon, then," Loki whispered seductively in her ear.

"Loki!" Elaine smacked his arm halfheartedly. With a smile, he bent down and kissed her. 

"It's late, let's go back to sleep," he said. She nodded and they walked back arm in arm.

"Tomorrow we can go out in the snow," Loki told her as they lay down to sleep. It had gotten below freezing far faster than Elaine had anticipated during her stay and she was excited to see Asgard in glittering white. 

"Ok."


	12. Chapter 12

Elaine woke and stealthily rolled out of bed. 

"Where are you going, darling?" her husband asked sleepily. 

"Shh. Close your eyes. I have a present for you."

With a playful sigh, he closed his eyes and held out his hands. In his outstretched hands, Elaine placed the long, gray scarf she'd been working on since the day she'd arrived.

"Merry Christmas, Loki."

He opened his vibrant green eyes to see her looking at him with anticipatory excitement, hoping he liked her gift. He felt the softness of the wool against his skin as he traced the intricate design in the fabric.

"It's beautiful," he said finally. "I'll wear it when we go for our walk. Now let's get ready."

In truth, Loki dreaded the trip outside. Today was when he would show Elaine exactly what it was that she was married to. A Jötunn. A Frost Giant. A monster. But he shucked off his bedclothes nonetheless and changed into winter clothes.

* * *

After Elaine was all bundled up and she had made sure Loki was going to stay warm, the pair set out. The trees hung with icicles, looking festive as they sparkled in the late morning sun. Last night, a light dusting of snow had coated the landscape in a glittering cloak of silver and white. The chill was biting as they walked toward the large pond hidden in the woods. 

"It has a cave system connecting it to a larger lake somewhere to the north. This pond is really quite deep. Thirty feet around it is actually a ledge of rock over the water. Occasionally, the merfolk visit through the caverns, but not often. I doubt you'll see any today, but-" a hand shot through the thin ice and, lightning-fast, grabbed Elaine's foot and dragged her under with a crackling of ice.

The face of the being that had dragged her beneath the crust of ice was skeletal and hideous. The water lent their skin a green tint and their hair floated out in wisps. Their eyes were milky white and their tail mottled green, it was a terrifying vision to behold. Then it began to speak. A hissing, gurgling speech emanating from a mouth full of sharp teeth. 

"And on the 21st day will be conceived an heir,  
The second son will be the first, the other left behind.  
And when she finds this tragedy her heart will be laid bare  
While those who would exploit her grief will be stricken blind."

And when the thing had said its piece, it dropped her into the murky depths below. Elaine regretted wearing so many layers. They soaked through quickly and dragged her ever faster toward the interminable deep. She could only remember which way was up now by the bubbles torn from her lungs. Her ears had long since popped and she thought the pressure would kill her soon. 

It felt like forever, her lungs burning so. Then she gave up the goose and breathed in. But not before a strong, cerulean hand grabbed her own and pulled her back up, up, up. 

Loki swam for the surface, easily pulling Elaine along with him. He got her onto the land as she shivered uncontrollably. He put her on her side, making sure she voided all the water from her lungs. When he thought she wouldn't drown in her own lungs while he took her back to the castle, he lifted her into his arms and ran.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry the smut's gonna have to come next chapter.

Elaine was  _cold_. Her bones ached and her muscles throbbed as Loki rushed her back to the castle. When she looked up at him, she saw that a deep lapis shade suffused his skin and his eyes were the color of hot coals. 

"...pretty Loki..." she said simply before going completely limp in his arms. Loki knew she wasn't in her right mind when she said that, but it almost made him smile, nonetheless. But her inability to stay awake would be the death of her. So he sped up.

Soon the doors loomed up before them and Loki burst through with a bang. All of the servants and guards knew him even as a Jötunn, but it was still frightening to have a big blue man carrying the limp body of their princess slam open the door and run up to their royal bedchamber. A few serving women gave startled shrieks as he ran past, leaving cold puddles in his wake. 

A fire still blazed in the room when the now Asgardian Loki hurried through the door. He used magic to lock it behind him as he scattered furs on the floor in front of the roaring fireplace. Elaine's lips were turning blue. 

"Fuck!" said Loki when he noticed. He couldn't do heat magic. He would have to do this the Midgardian way.  _Let's hope this works, because if it doesn't this will be a very **short**  inter-realm alliance. _

* * *

It was warm and she awoke feeling more content than a cat napping in the summer sun. She felt the familiar shape of Loki where she was folded against him, but there was something... different. She didn't know if it was  _actually_ a good different, but whatever it was felt good. Once she put her finger on it, she wanted to jump up, be appalled, be a proper lady... Actually, no. She  _wanted_ to want to do those things, but she didn't. Honestly, she couldn't be bothered to care that they were both nude. 

The sky outside was dark, though it couldn't have been past one in the afternoon. A snowstorm had come in from the north. It was not one of those little snowstorms you got back on Earth during Christmastime. No, this was a blizzard with thunder and lightning. I'd hate to use a cliché like blotted out the sky, but the black storm clouds did indeed blot out the sky. 

In the flickering light of the fire, Elaine looked at her sleeping husband and smiled. He looked so peaceful, so handsome. She reached her hand out and brushed some of his onyx hair out of his face. His eyes opened.

"Loki," she greeted him with a smile. "Can I see you blue again?"

He felt as if he'd been slapped. But he would show her. He'd promised himself he would. He closed his eyes and sighed. Lines appeared on his face and cool blue color swept over his skin. When he opened his eyes, they shone the color of garnets, reflecting the firelight. 

"Wow..." Elaine breathed. "Beautiful... Your majesty-" she began, but he cut her off. Abruptly, his Asgardian face was back in place.

"I'm only a prince. A 'your highness'."

"No. While you might be a prince to the rest of the world, you'll always be my king."

He was shocked into silence. She took advantage of his state to kiss him softly.

"Loki, make love to me," she whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOOK WHAT I FUCKING FOUND  
> http://bettermyths.com/category/loki/  
> JESUS CHRIST ITS SO FUCKING FUNNY


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